Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Can the UK Conservatives get a majority?

By Silvio Canto, Jr.

It's obvious that PM Theresa May miscalculated when she called for new elections. She was hoping to add a few more seats but ended up losing the majority. Nevertheless, the conservatives still have the upper hand in UK politics no matter how much the media keeps saying that Mr. Corbin of the left is the winner.

How can a man be called a winner when he loses the popular vote by 6 points, 48-42%?

So what hapenned in the UK? Let me suggest two things. Don't watch CNN and read this wonderful explanation from Barry Casselman:

In sheer numbers, the Tories won 319 seats (plus or minus 1),Labour, led by Jeremy Corbyn, won 261, and other parties won about 70 seats between them. Technically, a majority is 326, butsince the 7 Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) elected members do not attend, a majority is in reality 322.

Since the 10 Union Party members elected from Northern Ireland traditionally support the Tory Party in Parliament, Mrs. May clearly has enough (albeit barely) to form a government.Let's be clear. PM May ran an awful campaign.

Let's also be very clear that there is a lesson here for the GOP and 2018. The GOP will be thrown out in 2018 if it argues about technicalities rather than repeal ObamaCare and bring about the change promised. The voters are in no mood for excuses from a party that runs just about everything but California.

PM May did a terrible job of understanding what's in voters' minds: terror attacks on little girls and people out for a walk on Saturday night, global economic realignments and the job insecurity that comes with it and the growing rift between London and the rest of the country.